Friday evening May 26

Preparation

Opening response

Favor us, Lord, and deliver us.Lord, come quickly and help us.

Send your Holy Spirit upon us,and clothe us with power from on high. Alleluia.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,to you be glory and praise forever.Raised to your right hand on highthe ascended Christ shows the prints of loveand bestows on us the gifts of grace.As your Spirit renews the face of the earth,may we bring forth the fruit of the Spiritand reveal your glory in all the world.Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Blessed be God forever.

That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful,let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,so may your mercy come down upon usto cleanse our heartsand set us free to sing your praisenow and forever.Amen.

Hymn

In the Midst Do Thou Appear

While we walk with God in light,God our hearts doth still unite,Sweetly each with each combinedIn the bonds of duty joined.

Father, still our faith increase:Cleanse from all unrighteousness,Thee the unholy cannot see;Make, oh make us meet for thee!

Mutual love the token be,Lord, that we belong to thee,Only love to us be given,Lord we ask no other heaven.

Confession of sin

Come, Holy Spirit of God,and search our hearts with the light of Christ.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said:The first commandment is this:‘Israel, listen! Our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

The second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’No other commandment is greater than these.All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.

Amen. Lord, have mercy.

After a period of reflection

Come, let us return to the Lord and say:

Lord our God,in our sin we have avoided your call.Our love for you is like a morning cloud,like the dew that goes away early.Have mercy on us;deliver us from judgment;bind up our wounds and revive us;in Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

cf Hosea 6

May almighty God,who sent his Son into the world to save sinners,bring us his pardon and peace, now and forever.Amen.

The Word of God

Psalm 145

Refrain:The Lord is great and so worthy of praise!

I will lift you up high, my God, the true king. I will bless your name forever and always.I will bless you every day. I will praise your name forever and always.The Lord is great and so worthy of praise! God’s greatness can’t be grasped.One generation will praise your works to the next one, proclaiming your mighty acts.They will talk all about the glorious splendor of your majesty; I will contemplate your wondrous works.They will speak of the power of your awesome deeds; I will declare your great accomplishments.They will rave in celebration of your abundant goodness; they will shout joyfully about your righteousness: “The Lord is merciful and compassionate, very patient, and full of faithful love. The Lord is good to everyone and everything; God’s compassion extends, to all his handiwork!”All that you have made gives thanks to you, Lord; all your faithful ones bless you!They speak of the glory of your kingdom; they talk all about your power, to inform all human beings about God’s power and the majestic glory of God’s kingdom.Your kingdom is a kingship that lasts forever; your rule endures for all generations.The Lord is trustworthy in all that he says, faithful in all that he does.The Lord supports all who fall down, straightens up all who are bent low.All eyes look to you, hoping, and you give them their food right on time, opening your hand and satisfying the desire of every living thing.The Lord is righteous in all his ways, faithful in all his deeds.The Lord is close to everyone who calls out to him, to all who call out to him sincerely.God shows favor to those who honor him, listening to their cries for help and saving them.The Lord protects all who love him, but he destroys every wicked person.My mouth will proclaim the Lord’s praise, and every living thing will bless God’s holy name forever and always.

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:The Lord is great and so worthy of praise!

Psalm prayer

King of the universe,you show the bright glory of your reignin acts of mercy and enduring love;raise the spirits of the downcastand restore those who have fallen away,that we may sing for ever of your love;through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament readingNumbers 20:1-13

In the first month, the entire Israelite community entered the Zin desert and the people stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there. Now there was no water for the community, and they assembled against Moses and Aaron. Then the people confronted Moses and said to him, “If only we too had died when our brothers perished in the Lord’s presence! Why have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this desert to kill us and our animals here? Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place without grain, figs, vines, or pomegranates? And there’s no water to drink!”

Moses and Aaron went away from the assembly to the entrance of the meeting tent and they fell on their faces. Then the Lord’s glory appeared to them. The Lord spoke to Moses: “You and Aaron your brother, take the staff and assemble the community. In their presence, tell the rock to provide water. You will produce water from the rock for them and allow the community and their animals to drink.”

Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, as the Lord had commanded him. Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. He said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Should we produce water from the rock for you?” Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice. Out flooded water so that the community and their animals could drink.

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you didn’t trust me to show my holiness before the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I am giving them.” These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites confronted the Lord with controversy and he showed his holiness to them.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament readingLuke 7:11-17

A little later Jesus went to a city called Nain. His disciples and a great crowd traveled with him. As he approached the city gate, a dead man was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. When he saw her, the Lord had compassion for her and said, “Don’t cry.” He stepped forward and touched the stretcher on which the dead man was being carried. Those carrying him stood still. Jesus said, “Young man, I say to you, get up.” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

Awestruck, everyone praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding region.

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticleThe Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

Refrain:How excellent is your name in all the world, you have set your glory above the heavens. Alleluia.

With all my heart I glorify the Lord!In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant.Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favoredbecause the mighty one has done great things for me.Holy is his name.He shows mercy to everyone,from one generation to the next,who honors him as God.He has shown strength with his arm.He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.He has pulled the powerful down from their thronesand lifted up the lowly.He has filled the hungry with good thingsand sent the rich away empty-handed.He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,remembering his mercy, just as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.

Luke 1:46-55

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:How excellent is your name in all the world, you have set your glory above the heavens. Alleluia.

Brief silence.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,is seated at the right hand of the Father,and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Thanksgiving and intercession

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.

Intercessions are offeredfor peacefor individuals and their needs

Prayers may include the following concerns:

God’s royal priesthood, for empowerment by the SpiritThose who wait on God, that they may find renewalAll people, that they may acknowledge the kingdom of the ascended ChristThe earth, for productivity and for fruitful harvestsAll who are struggling with broken relationships

Other intercessions and supplications may be offered as the Holy Spirit leads.

Response

Lord, in your mercyhear our prayer.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

O God the King of glory,you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christwith great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:we beseech you, leave us not comfortless,but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen usand exalt us to the place where our Savior Christ is gone before,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever.Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Being made one by the power of the Spirit, as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yoursnow and forever.Amen.